Earthquake-torn Turkish town Nurdağı to be completely demolished, abandoned

As Turkey attempts to pick up the pieces of devastation left behind by the string of earthquakes that rattled the nation last week, one city in the Gaziantep province remains abandoned and cast aside. According to NEXTA, Turkish authorities have decided to fully demolish Nurdağı, one of the cities that were the most impacted by the deadly calamity. 

The governor of Nurdağı said that no reconstruction efforts will go into rebuilding the city, which was once home to thousands of people. Earlier this month, the Turkish cities of Nurdağı, Kahramanmaras, and Turkoglu faced the wrath of the earthquake and sustained extreme damage to their buildings, homes, and other infrastructure.

Proxy maps of satellite data show the cities with bright red pixels, which represent how severe the damage is in the regions. While the city of Nurdağı might be heading towards its demolition, nations like India continue to carry out crucial operations of earthquake relief, according to a tweet by India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Specialised Search and Rescue teams of @NDRFHQ are working round the clock at Nurdağı.

Another team deployed at Antakya to augment the ongoing earthquake relief efforts. #OperationDost pic.twitter.com/oXm8NTXpsp

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) February 10, 2023

The recent #earthquake also destroyed grain silos, as seen here in the towns of #Kirikhan (left) and #Nurdagi (right), #Turkey. #Satellite images from February 9, 2023. pic.twitter.com/Vm9dZXWEw7

— Maxar Technologies (@Maxar) February 10, 2023

Search and rescue ops underway in quake-torn Nurdağı

“Specialised Search and Rescue teams of @NDRFHQ are working round the clock at Nurdağı. Another team was deployed at Antakya to augment the ongoing earthquake relief efforts,” Bagchi said. Meanwhile, two days ago, The Guardian reported that the death toll continues to soar in Nurdağı along with cemeteries beginning to fill up. Most graves have only been dug up recently in a disorderly fashion with blank tombstones.

Streets of the quake-stricken city have overflowed with dozens of corpses, stacked on top of one another before finding a place to get buried. At least five imams have traveled to the city to hold mass funeral services, sometimes for ten deceased victims at a time. Furthermore, coffins have been brought in from various parts of Turkey to finally lay the victims to rest.